Of rails and buffers

21st April 2024

...and loco names and hailstorms, and LED lights and  - well you get the idea.

No more dramatic reports of riding big locos this week, back to the more mundane. Paperwork day on Monday, but Tuesday, after some other matters were sorted, I set off for a supplier in Rotherham followed by a trip in to our partner's yard to set up the trailer ready for a load on Wednesday. They rent space in a bigger yard and I drove in rather assuming that 'they' would see the van drive by or parked by the trailer. I had a couple of 5ft long rails in the back, these I had to insert in the rails on the deck, by splitting the rearmost pair, sliding them back, and then lifting them on to the raised section at the back over the axles with these 5fters inserted in between. It was two-thirty when I got there and I hoped to be finished in 2 hours, including packing the rails afterwards with timber to take the weights. But time passed and I decided to leave the packing until the day of the move. It was twenty-to-five as I just about packing up and saw two employees starting to lock the gates. I hastened over and asked them politely if they would just give me 5 minutes - they seemed a bit surprised that I was there - and hurriedly finished sheeting the trailer and moving out.

The next day - Wednesday - I was due to move an SPA from Sandiacre but I was receiving texts at seven in the morning to warn me that the hauliers had had delays on jobs the previous day and wouldn't be on site until 11.00. So I set off aiming to be there for about 10.30 only to receive more news - from Jezz the driver - that he wasn't even back at the yard yet to pick up the trailer, so it would be nearer noon. With time to kill I thought I might as well drop in at Heanor's and see if there was any news on my trailer. And wow, there was a pallet with 6 brand new brake drums and Adam assuring me that he should have it finished for about Friday. As I already had work booked for the next week I agreed with him that we'd hang on to his trailer a little longer so he didn't have to rush to finish it and we could swap back later in the week.

At Sandiacre a freshly painted SPA was sat waiting for us. I remember going to 'Balfour Beatty Sandiacre' in about 1990 when it was a large yard with turnouts being pre-assembled and their own shunter which RFS borrowed for the Channel Tunnel. That yard, if my memory hasn't completely gone bonkers is now Progress Rail and BB themselves have a much smaller emporium off the entrance road to Toton. I was greeted by an employee who had been painting this SPA single-handed on behalf of the owning group. It took me a while to notice that it only had 3 buffers (powers of observation clearly diminishing with age) but we passed the time until Jezz arrived and we lined up the wagon to load it.

I had already plotted how it would look on CAD so wasn't too concerned with the length as we winched it on, and it sat pretty much as I expected, in fact I could have let it back a foot or so and still been clear of the neck. The limited space within the yard gave us some problems in turning around - I'm used to steerng the trailer on the wander lead, but for some reason that didn't work so I fell back to the radio which had a very limited range. In consequence turning it must have taken 15 or 20 minutes all told. Jezz's route to Wirksworth involved swinging south round Derby and coming in from the southwest to get to the A6. Having washed up and changed, I thought the more direct route up through Ilkeston, Belper and the A6 to Whatstandwell would get me there in plenty of time. But Jezz phoned me to say he was about a mile out and I must have been as far or more thanks to traffic, roadworks, etc.

Anyway I pressed on, parked and dashed up the road to meet Jezz just coming down, grabbed the wander lead, plugged in and it worked so I steered the trailer through the chicane of parked cars and into the yard. We lined up and prepared to unload and the heavens opened with hail, but I carried on and the wagon rolled down on to EVR rails after which we had to use Jezz's tractor to pull it clear.

Packed up and ready to leave, it was by now about half-six. Normally at Wirksworth you back out into the transport yard opposite and then swing out left and up the hill. But when we'd arrived there'd been two tankers, back-to-back blocking the gateway and when we walked up to check, they were still there. Nothing for it but to turn around using the empty car park but with it being 4 axle and Jezz's 8 x 4 this was not a simple 3 point turn. Fortunately I remembered that the wander lead takes its power from the trailer light circuit - Jezz hadn't had the lights on at Sandiacre - but even then it was a good 10-15 point turn, gaining a little ground and angle every shuffle such that it was about 7pm when we headed out - forwards- to discover that the two tankers had moved and we could have backed straight out as usual. Still, Andrew was watching us on the EVR webcam so it was probably better entertainment than what was on TV at that time of the evening.

I had other things to deal with on Thursday but on Friday I thought I would return to Rotherham and reconfigure the rails ready for this week's work. Just in case they finished early I did actually pop in to the offices and let them know I was on site so I wasn't worried about getting locked in, but I reckoned an hour or so would see me through and so it did - the 5footers extracted and the rails rejoined and lowered much nearer deck level. I was back in good time for Steph's brother and his french wife, who had been staying with us all week, to take us out for an evening meal.

Saturday. It was a full house at Darley Dale. As I set off from the Briddon Country Pile I was passed by Andy H on his way to the workshops, and barely had the gates been opened and I'd backed in than the first of our expected visitors arrived all the way from Swindon. Teas, coffees, etc were dispensed, Matt H arrived and resumed cutting up the Hunslet 0-4-0, and finally Andrew with Will and dachshund. The Hatramm drew 144V out of the shed, we pushed the Baguley railcar after it, the Terrypicker was repositioned and Andy H completed changing the last 4 of the 24 cheap chinese LED floodlights with 'proper' industrial LED ones.

144V received its new rear angle, though only held with G cramps for now as Andrew declared it is his intention to bolt it to the buffer beam (drilling and tapping) and coating both faces with a sealant to prevent the ingress of water and consequential jack-rusting. While the shed area was clear we took the opportunity to extract a section of parts racking (which had large pigeon holes and so was not a very efficient use of space) and substsitute with another section bought months ago and up to now cluttering the middle of the workshop.

With the Swindon visitors satisfied with their purchases and on their way back, it was time for the next contingent, Phil C and his partner, to look over EE D1197 and the other EE 0-6-0DH. By 4pm it was beginning to wind down. The railcar and 144V returned inside, Phil C had departed, as had Matt and Andy. Andrew set off leaving me to finish locking up: appreciated as I wanted to get a shower and go see an old friend in Sheffield.

Sunday: in contrast I would be on my own but I had had 3 more enquiries for transport jobs yesterday so with that and other matters to attend to I didn't head down until after lunch, and then only to have a go with the Alstom loco. Not that I am much the wiser. When first powered up the shock detector (which should only give momentary indications) was on continuously and as I started to trace where the problem was it disappeared and didn't come back, but still the software wouldn't allow me to put te clutch in and still declined to reveal why. After 2 hours or so I gave it up and set about loading a few more things ready for tomorrow before locking up and heading home. For it is off in the morning with a programme of locos to move, ending up at Heanors yard to swap over trailers and return T1 to Rowsley.

Oh, but you're all dieing to know the outcome of my jostle with the company over the oil pressure switch aren't you? The answer is that although the paperwork issued for the pro-forma had a 'customer wants it by' date of Wednesday, I wasn't convinced and on Thursday an order acknowledgement came in expressing their intent to ship it Friday. So it might arrive early this week but I am not holding my breath.

Shortly after we delivered the Hudswell 0-4-0DH to W H Davis last year, I was across there and heard it had been christened Shania Train. Not liking this much, I suggested that maybe they should do a bit of PR and name it in conjunction with the nearby school. Management took this up with enthusiasm. I thought anything was better than Shania Train but knew it was a risk. Croft did the same thing with the remanufactured 0-6-0DH we delivered from Locotec and as a result it carried CHUG nameplates for years. Equally ages ago Henry Boots ran a competition to name the two locos for their Hong Knog contract. I didn't take part but thought the obvious names were 'Left Boot' and 'Right Boot' - that they ended up as Henry Boot No.1 and (ditto) No.2 suggests that the entries were either less-inspired or downright facetious. I heard that the Hudswell has now got its official name this week - Dwayne the Train. Yes, I said I thought anything would be better than Shania - well at least it wasn't Trainy mcTrain face.

That's it for the week. Shut-eye calls and an early start. Back next week. See ya then.